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Police & Fire
Kidnappers Owed Drug Money Kept Victim Tied In U-Haul For Hours In NJ: Police Kidnappers Owed Drug Money Kept Victim Tied In U-Haul For Hours In NJ: Police
Kidnappers Owed Drug Money Kept Victim Tied In U-Haul For Hours In NJ: Police A woman was arrested for kidnapping and two suspects remain at-large as Secaucus police continue their investigation into the sale of narcotics at motels in the town, authorities said.  Police found one member of an illicit drug distribution ring was kidnapped at knifepoint in Jersey City in June 2023, since he owed Erica Festino, another member of the drug ring, money, police said. The victim was bound and driven around Hudson County in the back of a U-Haul truck for hours and robbed of cash and personal items, police said. He was eventually released, police said.  Festino was ar…

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by Sam Barron
News
'This Is The Same Kid!' Viral Video Shows Traffic Stop Moments Before Double-Fatal NJ Crash 'This Is The Same Kid!' Viral Video Shows Traffic Stop Moments Before Double-Fatal NJ Crash
'This Is The Same Kid!' Viral Video Shows Traffic Stop Moments Before Double-Fatal NJ Crash Newly-released bodycam footage shows a motor vehicle stop that happened moments before the same vehicle was involved in a tractor trailer crash, killing both the passenger and driver in Hudson County. North Bergen police officer Jon Nunez stopped 24-year-old Luis Cevallos' Kia Stinger, with 27-year-old passenger Alexis Rodriguez, at 61st Street and Kennedy Boulevard for excessive speeding and reckless driving around 1:50 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 4, 2021, police said. The footage of the stop and crash response was published to the Transparency Bodycam YouTube channel on Sept. 21, …

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Feds Help Dismantle Meth, Fentanyl Ring In North Jersey: Cops Feds Help Dismantle Meth, Fentanyl Ring In North Jersey: Cops
Feds Help Dismantle Meth, Fentanyl Ring In North Jersey: Cops An investigation by multiple North Jersey police departments and the Department of Homeland Security led to the arrest of three men for running a meth and fentanyl ring on Wednesday, Sept. 20, authorities said. Nilo Ibarra, a 38-year-old Jersey City resident, Ramon Lopez Arias, a 32-year-old West New York resident and Alexander Sanchez-Castillo, a  37-year-old North Bergen resident were arrested following an operation conducted by the Secaucus Police Department, the Jersey City Police Department Street Crimes Unit and the North Bergen Police Department, Secaucus Police Chief Dennis Mill…

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by Sam Barron
Business
Popular North Jersey Burger Joint Hits The Streets With Food Truck Popular North Jersey Burger Joint Hits The Streets With Food Truck
Popular North Jersey Burger Joint Hits The Streets With Food Truck One of North Jersey's most popular burger joints just got itself a sweet set of wheels. Steve's Burgers, which first opened in Garfield in 2009, announced on Instagram that the restaurant is rolling out a food truck: Steve'z on Wheelz. Owner Stephen Chrisomalis said the move is a partnership with Zilpa Rizzo, of Zilpa's Desserts. Zilpa's products are sold at Steve's. View this post on Instagram A post shared by STEVE’Z ON WHEELZ (@stevezonwheelz) In addition to its burgers that draw customers from across the country, Steve'z will have a sma…

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by Cecilia Levine
Business
'Passionate Eater' Dad Combines Dominican, Italian Recipes At New North Jersey Sandwich Shop 'Passionate Eater' Dad Combines Dominican, Italian Recipes At New North Jersey Sandwich Shop
'Passionate Eater' Dad Combines Dominican, Italian Recipes At New North Jersey Sandwich Shop A dad from the Dominican Republic has opened a brand-new sandwich shop in North Jersey. Markin Delacruz, a self-described "passionate eater," has brought Sandwichitos to Old River Road, on the border of Edgewater and North Bergen. Delacruz combines recipes from his Dominican background with those of his Italian wife's.  Posted by Sandwichitos on Wednesday, August 9, 2023 North Bergen Mayor Nicholas Sacco and Township Administrator Janet Castro watch as Commissioner Claudia Rodriguez shakes hands with Markin Delacruz as he opens Sandwichitos.Township of North Bergen, NJ As of its Fri…

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by Cecilia Levine
Lifestyle
Hudson County Model Revealed As Contestant On 'The Bachelor' Hudson County Model Revealed As Contestant On 'The Bachelor'
Hudson County Model Revealed As Contestant On 'The Bachelor' The women competing on the next season of ABC's "The Bachelor" have been revealed. And one of them is from Hudson County ABC did not include any background about the contestants on Joey Graziadei's season, whose first names, ages, and photos were released Saturday morning, Sept. 16. The only contestant representing the Garden State on Joey's season is Erika, a 25-year-old North Bergen resident. She appears to be a model represented by State MGMT. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Joey Graziadei (@joeygraziadei) Graziadei is a 2…

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Overturned Truck Snarls Traffic On Route 495 Overturned Truck Snarls Traffic On Route 495
Overturned Truck Snarls Traffic On Route 495 An overturned truck jammed traffic on NJ-495 in North Bergen Monday morning, Aug. 21. Footage from the New Jersey Department of Transportation shows emergency response vehicles at Columbia Avenue. Further details were not immediately released.

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by Sam Barron
News
NY Dealer Gets 11 Years, No Parole, For Moving Fentanyl, Meth, Coke By The Pound Into NJ NY Dealer Gets 11 Years, No Parole, For Moving Fentanyl, Meth, Coke By The Pound Into NJ
NY Dealer Gets 11 Years, No Parole, For Moving Fentanyl, Meth, Coke By The Pound Into NJ A dealer who admitted flooding four North Jersey counties with massive quantities of fentanyl, meth and coke is headed to federal prison for more than a decade. Juan Carlos Merced Moreno, 45, of Manhattan must serve out just about all of his plea-bargained 11-year sentence because there's no parole in the federal prison system. Moreno and his partners operated a fentanyl mill in Washington Heights that supplied traffickers in New Jersey with at least 25,000 pills that were distributed throughout the Garden State, U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Philip R. Sellinger said. Authorities disco…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
Driving Instructor Gropes Teen Girl During Lesson In Hudson County: Police Driving Instructor Gropes Teen Girl During Lesson In Hudson County: Police
Driving Instructor Gropes Teen Girl During Lesson In Hudson County: Police A 68-year-old North Bergen driving instructor groped a 17-year-old girl during  a lesson in Secaucus on Saturday, June 17, authorities said. Roberto Ormeno was charged with criminal sexual contact and endangering the welfare of a child, Secaucus Police Chief Dennis Miller said.  He was taken into custody at police headquarters on Wednesday, June 21, and was released with a summons. No further details were provided.

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by Sam Barron
Police & Fire
Search Launched For Mom Who Ran Away With 9-Year-Old Daughter In NJ: Police Search Launched For Mom Who Ran Away With 9-Year-Old Daughter In NJ: Police
Search Launched For Mom Who Ran Away With 9-Year-Old Daughter In NJ: Police Police in South Jersey are trying to locate a 9-year-old girl who they say was picked up by her mom in North Jersey and hasn't been returned. Athena Worthy-Miles' mom, Dasia Serrano-Worthy, picked her up from her grandmother's house on 74th Street in North Bergen on Saturday, June 17 at 2:30 p.m., police in West Deptford say. According to Athena's father, Dasia does not have custody of Athena and has not returned her, police said. Dasia also disconnected her phone and no one has been able to contact her, police said. Police said they do not know where Dasia could be, but she is known …

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by Sam Barron
Lifestyle
North Jersey Matchmaker Takes Talents To New TLC Show 'Match Me Abroad' North Jersey Matchmaker Takes Talents To New TLC Show 'Match Me Abroad'
North Jersey Matchmaker Takes Talents To New TLC Show 'Match Me Abroad' Nina Kharoufeh has been helping her friends and family with her matchmaking skills. Now she's taking her talents overseas. Kharoufeh, a North Bergen native who grew up in Cliffside Park,is one of the matchmakers on TLC's new dating show "Match Me Abroad," which helps people find love overseas. On the show, Kharoufeh is tasked with helping Stanika and Mark, two Americans, find love while in Morocco. "TLC reached out to me, they saw I was doing my thing," Kharoufeh, who also performs standup comedy, said. "I had never done something like this and I enjoy a challenge." After helping her frie…

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by Sam Barron
Police & Fire
Man Admits Luring Teens To NJ For Motel Sex: Feds Man Admits Luring Teens To NJ For Motel Sex: Feds
Man Admits Luring Teens To NJ For Motel Sex: Feds A 35-year-old New York resident admitted in federal court that he transported minors across state lines to New Jersey to have sex with him, authorities said. Berry Norman a resident of the Bronx, pled guilty to interstate travel to engage in illicit sexual conduct in federal court in Trenton on Tuesday, May 30, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said. He faces up to 30 years in prison when he is sentenced in October. In Feb. 2021, Norman invited two girls, age 14 and 15, to travel with him from Ohio to two North Bergen motels with the purpose of producing child pornography, Sellinger sa…

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by Sam Barron